Once you choose a houseboat...

“We got the houseboat fever in the Netherlands”

When Robert and Amy decided to visit Amsterdam, they decided to stay on a houseboat because it appeared as a ‘typical Amsterdam thing’ to do. And they weren’t wrong! Houseboats are becoming popular rapidly as holiday accommodation for tourists. However, what supposed to be a ten-day trip to Amsterdam, ended up becoming a true Dutch houseboating experience. “Even the ducks seemed to be welcoming us – never felt so much at home during a holiday”, Amy writes us after getting back from an unforgettable trip trough the Netherlands.

Amsterdam was Robert and Amy’s second stop on their one-month Eurotrip. When they were in London, they booked a houseboat called the Arden on the Da Costakade via Bookahouseboat.com Having never slept on a houseboat, they were both excited and anxious at the same time. Amy: “Robert had some cold feet, worrying that he might get seasick on a houseboat.” When they finally arrived, all their doubts gently drifted away as they immediately fell in love with sleeping afloat. And nobody got seasick since moored boats hardly move, even during strong winds. This, however, was only the start of their Dutch houseboat rental experience…

City and country houseboats

After just a few nights, they discovered that houseboats are available for rent all over the country, since the Netherlands has an historic and tight connection with water. The Dutch live in, among, and on, the water. After a few clicks online they made a plan to travel through Utrecht, all the way up to Friesland. While Friesland is the most northern province (together with Groningen), this is only a few hours by train. In both regions, Robert and Amy stayed on a houseboat since they enjoyed it so much in Amsterdam. Amy: “Although it’s nothing like the buzz of Amsterdam, we again fell in love with the water life in Friesland. The green fields were a welcoming change after the busy city life in the Dutch capital.”

Little places, big houseboats

The first stay was on the river Vecht, in the province Utrecht. They gladly traded the buzzing city of Amsterdam for a bit of peace and tranquillity of Maarssen in the Vecht area. After two days, they headed up to the historic city of Harlingen. Amy: “Here we also found an amazing refurbished boat turned into a bed and breakfast – and the size of the boats in the smaller places was really big!” When Robert and Amy returned to Amsterdam, they stated that they felt the Dutch connection to the water, and they were happy to experience more in the Netherlands than just the popular cities.

Unique way of staying abroad

An unforgettable experience according to Amy: “The Netherlands is very small country, with something to see every ten minutes. Their rich history is only surpassed by its enchanting countryside, and their down-to-earth inhabitants. And boy we will miss all those great houseboats. It was truly a unique way to stay abroad and yet feel at home.”